Weather Channel featuring team from Hurlburt Field (GALLERY, VIDEO)

A camera crew from The Weather Channel records as members of the Special Operations Weather Team brief Mike Bettes with a light terrain all-terrain vehicle.

CAPT. CRAIG SAVAGE / Special to the Daily News

By LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News

Published: Thursday, August 22, 2013 at 05:46 PM.

Friday, the Weather Channel will feature a special breed of meteorologist — the tough, sometimes lethal kind.

Two shows airing this morning will spotlight the Air Force’s special tactics combat weathermen assigned to Hurlburt Field.

Most people think of meteorologists as people who sit behind a desk and crank out reports. These men do that, but they do it in the field — often from behind enemy lines —- acting as a sort of living radar for the military.

“Weather is behind every single mission, every single aspect of everything we do,” said Capt. Jonathan Sawtelle, a special operations weatherman with the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt. “These meteorologists are a select few whose remotely collected data can save lives and enable devastating effects on our nation’s enemies.”

A crew from The Weather Channel traveled to Northwest Florida in July to tape the weathermen on a training mission.

Initial training for the job is one of the longest in the military. It takes two-and-a-half years, and only two out of 10 airmen who start the program finish it.

When dropped in the field, the airmen use handheld sensors, lasers, solar-powered weather stations, backpack weather balloons and other tools to provide the most accurate information about areas where troops are headed or targets are located.

Sawtelle said the program is was a great opportunity to show America what this unit — one of the smallest and most specialized in the Air Force — does to defend the nation.

He said Mike Bettes, one of The Weather Channel’s anchors, was great to work with and that the entire team seemed enthusiastic about how dedicated and excited the men were about the impact of their work.

“They are some of the most trained and educated airmen in the Air Force who risk their lives anytime, anyplace, so that others may live,” Sawtelle said.

CHECK IT OUT: Capt. Jonathan Sawtelle and other members of the weather team from Hurlburt Field will be interviewed live Friday on the Weather Channel’s “Wake Up With Al” and “Morning Rush” after the taped segment airs.

Friday, the Weather Channel will feature a special breed of meteorologist — the tough, sometimes lethal kind.

Two shows airing this morning will spotlight the Air Force’s special tactics combat weathermen assigned to Hurlburt Field.

Most people think of meteorologists as people who sit behind a desk and crank out reports. These men do that, but they do it in the field — often from behind enemy lines —- acting as a sort of living radar for the military.

“Weather is behind every single mission, every single aspect of everything we do,” said Capt. Jonathan Sawtelle, a special operations weatherman with the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt. “These meteorologists are a select few whose remotely collected data can save lives and enable devastating effects on our nation’s enemies.”

A crew from The Weather Channel traveled to Northwest Florida in July to tape the weathermen on a training mission.

Initial training for the job is one of the longest in the military. It takes two-and-a-half years, and only two out of 10 airmen who start the program finish it.

When dropped in the field, the airmen use handheld sensors, lasers, solar-powered weather stations, backpack weather balloons and other tools to provide the most accurate information about areas where troops are headed or targets are located.

Sawtelle said the program is was a great opportunity to show America what this unit — one of the smallest and most specialized in the Air Force — does to defend the nation.

He said Mike Bettes, one of The Weather Channel’s anchors, was great to work with and that the entire team seemed enthusiastic about how dedicated and excited the men were about the impact of their work.

“They are some of the most trained and educated airmen in the Air Force who risk their lives anytime, anyplace, so that others may live,” Sawtelle said.

CHECK IT OUT: Capt. Jonathan Sawtelle and other members of the weather team from Hurlburt Field will be interviewed live Friday on the Weather Channel’s “Wake Up With Al” and “Morning Rush” after the taped segment airs.